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IRS official refuses to answer questions at scandal hearing

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WASHINGTON - The Internal Revenue Service official at the center of a scandal about extra tax scrutiny of conservative groups told Congress on Wednesday she had done nothing wrong but invoked her constitutional right not to answer questions. | Video

6:10pm EDT

West may boost Syria rebels if Assad won't talk peace

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AMMAN - Washington threatened on Wednesday to increase support for Syria's rebels if President Bashar al-Assad refuses to discuss a political end to a civil war that is spreading across borders.

World, Syria 8:12pm EDT

Bernanke says more progress needed before stimulus pullback

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WASHINGTON - The Federal Reserve's monetary stimulus is helping the economy recover but the central bank needs to see further signs of traction before taking its foot off the gas pedal, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Wednesday. | Video

5:32pm EDT

British soldier hacked to death in suspected Islamist attack

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LONDON - A British soldier was hacked to death by two men shouting Islamic slogans in a south London street on Wednesday, in what the government said appeared to be a terrorist attack.

World, Africa 7:04pm EDT

HP raises 2013 outlook as Whitman's plan takes hold

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SAN FRANCISCO - Hewlett-Packard Co raised its 2013 earnings outlook after quarterly results beat low expectations, as CEO Meg Whitman's turnaround plan helped offset shrinking personal computer sales with enterprise computing services.

Tech, Hot Stocks, Asian Markets, Media 6:52pm EDT

Main Bahrain opposition group temporarily boycotts talks

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DUBAI - Bahrain's main opposition group suspended its participation in reconciliation talks with the government for two weeks on Wednesday, blaming the slow pace of talks and the raid last week on a top Shi'ite Muslim cleric's home.

World, Bahrain 2:34pm EDT

Oklahoma tornado victims astounded at how they survived

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MOORE, Oklahoma - Tornado survivors thanked God, sturdy closets and luck in explaining how they lived through the colossal twister that devastated an Oklahoma town and killed 24 people, an astonishingly low toll given the extent of destruction. | Video

U.S., Environment, Natural Disasters 6:43pm EDT

Man linked to Boston bombing suspect killed by FBI in Florida

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ORLANDO, Fla./WASHINGTON - A Chechen immigrant who was being questioned about his possible links to one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects was shot and killed by a federal agent in Florida on Wednesday after he suddenly turned violent, the FBI said.

7:58pm EDT

Home sales close in on three-and-a-half year high

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WASHINGTON - Home resales rose in April to the highest level in nearly 3-1/2 years and prices surged, offering the economy a buffer from the stiff headwinds posed by belt-tightening by Washington.

5:09pm EDT

Analysis: From opera to exercises, U.S. and China deepen military ties

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WASHINGTON - Even as the United States accuses China of military espionage and worries about Beijing's more strident posture in the Asia-Pacific region, the ties between the armed forces of the two nations have been getting closer.

World, China 1:14pm EDT

Politics Video

IRS official refuses to answer questions at scandal hearing

IRS official refuses to answer questions at scandal hearing

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Front Row Washington

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McCain, Biden coming together for Sedona, Arizona forum

These days Washington is not known for bipartisanship, but every now and then a breakthrough is made. It is noteworthy that Vice President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and Senator John McCain, a Republican, are appearing together at a forum in Sedona, Arizona on Friday.